New Delhi, Sept 10: Israel today said there has been "no movement" towards establishing diplomatic relations with Pakistan after the indication given by President Pervez Musharraf in Washington in June about such a possibility. Observing that Tel Aviv would be "glad" to establish diplomatic ties with Islamabad, visiting Deputy Prime Minister Yosef Lapid said, "We want to have good relations with every country. But there has been no other movement on this issue."

He told reporters here that Pakistan "never" wanted to have any diplomatic relations with Israel and as a Muslim majority country did not show any inclination on this score. Asked if export of Israeli-made Phalcon Airborne Early Warning System to India could have a destabilising effect in South Asia, he said Tel Aviv had no animosity towards Pakistan and was not interfering on Indo-Pak issues. But, he said, "India has a right to self-defence."

To another question if Israel would sell Phalcons to Pakistan if it established diplomatic relations with Islamabad in future, Lapid termed it as a "far-fetched question" but said India did not need to worry about it. On Pakistan's role in the global war against terrorism, he said his government "appreciated" Islamabad's conduct.

Bureau Report